Hibernian Football Club ("Hibs") is a Scottish football club, based in the Leith area of Edinburgh. Hibernian were the first ever British club to enter an official European footballing competition, doing so in the inaugural 1955âÂÂ56 season of the European Cup. They were also the first Scottish club to participate in the Fairs Cup, an unofficial forerunner of the UEFA Cup and Europa League competitions.
Hibernian reached the semi-final stage in the European Cup (1955âÂÂ56) and the Fairs Cup (1960âÂÂ61). They participated in European competition during the 1960s and 1970s on an almost annual basis, competing with many of the major club sides during this period. During this time, Hibernian recorded notable victories against Barcelona (1960âÂÂ61), Napoli (1967âÂÂ68) and Sporting Lisbon (1972âÂÂ73). Since the late 1970s, Hibernian have qualified for European competition much less frequently. During the 2000s they appeared three times in the Intertoto Cup, a summer competition that offered qualification for the UEFA Cup. The club most recently participated in the 2025–26 Conference League, losing in the play-off round to Legia Warsaw.
The first officially sanctioned European club tournament, the European Champion Clubs' Cup, was launched in 1955. Conceived by Gabriel Hanot, the editor of L'ÃÂquipe, as a competition for winners of the European national football leagues, it is considered the most prestigious European football competition. Hibernian had only finished fifth in the 1954âÂÂ55 Scottish league, but were one of the 16 sides invited to take part in the tournament's first season. As there was no English representative in the first competition, Hibernian also became the first British club to participate in European club competition. In their first tie, Hibernian defeated Rot-Weiss Essen (West Germany) thanks to a comfortable win in the away leg. Swedish club DjurgÃÂ¥rden were their next opponents, but they were unable to play the home match in Stockholm due to adverse winter weather. Both legs were played in Scotland, with the Djurgardens "home" venue being Firhill. Hibernian won 3âÂÂ1 in Glasgow and 1âÂÂ0 at Easter Road to progress to the semi-finals. At that stage they were drawn with French club Reims, who won 3âÂÂ0 on aggregate to progress to the final (which Reims lost 4âÂÂ3 to Real Madrid).
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which is treated as an unofficial European competition as it was not operated by UEFA, was also established in 1955. Hibernian became the first Scottish club to participate in that competition, in 1960. After a walkover victory against Swiss club Lausanne, Hibernian faced Spanish giants Barcelona in the quarter-final. The first leg in the Camp Nou ended in a 4âÂÂ4 draw, after Hibernian had twice led by two goals. In the return leg at Easter Road, a late penalty kick by Bobby Kinloch gave Hibernian a 3âÂÂ2 win on the night and a 7âÂÂ6 victory on aggregate. In the semi-final, Hibernian faced Italian side Roma. They drew 2âÂÂ2 at Easter Road and 3âÂÂ3 in Rome, but the away goals rule did not apply at that time and a playoff match was required. The playoff was also played in Rome, which Roma won 6âÂÂ0 as they went on to win the tournament.
Through most of the 1960s and the 1970s, Hibernian were regular participants in European competition. Wins against select teams from Copenhagen (Stævnet) and Utrecht put Hibernian into the quarter-finals of the 1962âÂÂ63 Fairs Cup, where they lost 6âÂÂ2 on aggregate to Valencia. In the 1965âÂÂ66 Fairs Cup, Hibernian met Valencia again with each team winning their home game 2âÂÂ0; Valencia progressed after they won a playoff match.
Hibernian defeated Portuguese club Porto in the first round of the 1967âÂÂ68 Fairs Cup, but then lost 4âÂÂ1 to Napoli in the second round first leg. Napoli were the league leaders in Italy at the time, had only conceded five goals in their last six matches and had legendary goalkeeper Dino Zoff in their lineup. Despite this, Hibernian overwhelmed their Italian opponents and won 5âÂÂ0 at Easter Road to win the tie 6âÂÂ4 on aggregate. In the following round, Hibernian were beaten 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate by Leeds United.
Wins against Olimpija Ljubljana and Lokomotive Leipzig in the 1968âÂÂ69 Fairs Cup pushed Hibernian into a third round tie with Hamburg. Hibernian won 2âÂÂ1 at home and lost 1âÂÂ0 in Germany, which meant that they were eliminated by the away goals rule. In the final season (1970âÂÂ71) of the Fairs Cup, Hibernian defeated Malmo 9âÂÂ2 and Vitoria Guimaraes 3âÂÂ2, but were then beaten 3âÂÂ0 by English side Liverpool. Joe McBride scored a hat-trick in the home leg against Malmo, which set a club record for goals scored in European competition.
Hibernian entered the European Cup Winners' Cup for the first (and only) time in 1972âÂÂ73, as the Scottish Cup winners (Celtic) had also won the league championship. They faced Portuguese club Sporting in the first round, and lost 2âÂÂ1 in the first leg in Lisbon. Hibernian scored first in the return leg through Alan Gordon. Sporting equalised before half-time, but five goals without reply in the second half gave Hibernian a 6âÂÂ1 victory on the night and 7âÂÂ3 on aggregate. Jimmy O'Rourke scored a hat-trick in what was Sporting's heaviest defeat in European competition at that time. Another emphatic home win, 7âÂÂ1 against Albanian club KS Besa, put Hibernian into the quarter-finals. Hibernian won 4âÂÂ2 at Easter Road in the first leg against Hajduk Split, but a 3âÂÂ0 defeat in Yugoslavia knocked them out of the tournament.
UEFA had taken over the operation of the Fairs Cup in 1971 and rebranded it as the UEFA Cup. Hibernian entered this competition for the first time in 1973âÂÂ74. After a 3âÂÂ1 aggregate win against Icelandic club KeflavÃÂk in the first round, Hibernian met Leeds United for a second time. Both games ended goalless, and Leeds won the tie after a penalty shootout. Norwegian club Rosenborg were the first round opposition in the 1974âÂÂ75 UEFA Cup. After a 3âÂÂ2 win in Norway, three goals in four minutes started a 9âÂÂ1 rout for Hibernian (and a club record defeat for Rosenborg) in the second leg. They would progress to the second round, where they lost 8âÂÂ2 to Italian club Juventus.
In the 1975âÂÂ76 UEFA Cup, Hibernian were paired with English side Liverpool in the first round. A Joe Harper goal gave Hibernian a 1âÂÂ0 win in the first leg at home, but Ray Clemence saved a penalty that could have given Hibernian a two-goal lead. This moment was to prove crucial, as Liverpool won 3âÂÂ1 at Anfield to narrowly win the tie on aggregate. Liverpool went on to win the competition, with that first leg loss against being their only defeat en route. In the following season, Hibernian managed to squeeze through 1âÂÂ0 in the first round of the UEFA Cup against French side Sochaux. A 2âÂÂ0 home win against Swedish club ÃÂster raised hopes of further progress, but that lead was overturned by a 4âÂÂ1 defeat in the return leg.
Manager Eddie Turnbull enjoyed success with Hibernian and guided them to several European entries during the 1970s. The last of these was in the 1978âÂÂ79 UEFA Cup, where they defeated Norrkoping 3âÂÂ2 at home and this lead was preserved as the Swedes were held to a goalless draw in the second leg. Hibernian had been known for their attacking play under Turnbull, but he adopted more defensive tactics this season. This proved unsuccessful in the second round, as Hibernian lost 2âÂÂ0 in Strasbourg. A 1âÂÂ0 win for Hibernian in the return leg was therefore insufficient, and it was to be the club's last involvement in European football for 11 years.
Since 1979, Hibernian have qualified for European competition much less frequently. They did not qualify at all for most of the 1980s, as the New Firm of Aberdeen and Dundee United enjoyed success domestically and in Europe. Their next participation came in the 1989âÂÂ90 UEFA Cup, where Hibernian won 3âÂÂ0 in Hungary (and 4âÂÂ0 on aggregate) against Videoton in the first round. The second round tie with Belgian club Liège went into extra time after two goalless draws. Keith Houchen had missed a penalty kick in the first leg, and this proved costly as Liège scored the only goal of the tie during the additional period. Victory in the 1991âÂÂ92 Scottish League Cup qualified Hibernian for the 1992âÂÂ93 UEFA Cup, where they were paired with Belgian opposition again. Anderlecht scored two away goals in a 2âÂÂ2 draw at Easter Road, and a 1âÂÂ1 draw in the return game meant that Hibernian went out on the away goals rule.
Hibernian next qualified for European competition in 2001, having finished third in the 2000âÂÂ01 Scottish Premier League. They entered the 2001âÂÂ02 UEFA Cup and were drawn against Greek club AEK Athens. The first leg in Greece, which was postponed by a week due to the September 11 attacks against the United States, ended in a 2âÂÂ0 defeat for Hibernian. A strong performance in the return leg gave them a 2âÂÂ0 lead, equalising the aggregate score. Paco Luna missed a chance to score a third and tie-winning goal late in normal time, and the tie entered an extra period. Two away goals gave AEK an aggregate win, although Hibernian won 3âÂÂ2 on the night. Despite exiting the competition, the home game against AEK was fondly remembered by the Hibernian supporters; the actor Dougray Scott later named it as his favourite match.
During the 2000s, Hibernian also volunteered to enter the Intertoto Cup on three occasions. This offered a potential backdoor route into the UEFA Cup, but the fixtures being played in early July meant that Hibernian had to start their pre-season training earlier than other Scottish clubs. The games themselves also fell early in pre-season, and they lost in the 2004 competition to Lithuanian club Vetra. They played a friendly match against Rot-Weiss Essen in July 2005 to mark the 50th anniversary of the clubs' first match in European competition. Hibernian had finished third in the league and qualified for the 2005âÂÂ06 UEFA Cup. In the opening round, they held Ukrainian club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk to a goalless draw at home but fell to a 5âÂÂ1 defeat in the return leg.
After further entries in the Intertoto Cup were ended by Odense (2006) and Elfsborg (2008), Hibernian next qualified properly for European competition in 2010. By then, the Intertoto Cup had been abolished and the UEFA Cup had been rebranded as the Europa League. In the 2010âÂÂ11 competition, Hibernian were defeated home and away by Slovenian club Maribor in the third qualifying round. Hibernian lost 7âÂÂ0 at Easter Road to Swedish club Malmo in the 2013âÂÂ14 Europa League qualifiers. The aggregate score of 9âÂÂ0 was a record defeat for a Scottish club in European competition, surpassing the 12âÂÂ4 defeat suffered by Rangers in 1959âÂÂ60.
Having won the 2015âÂÂ16 Scottish Cup, Hibernian entered the 2016âÂÂ17 Europa League qualifiers. They lost 1âÂÂ0 at home to Danish club Brondby, but a David Gray goal gave Hibernian a 1âÂÂ0 win in Copenhagen. This forced the tie into a goalless period of extra time, and Brondby progressed to the next round by winning 5âÂÂ3 on penalties. Hibernian next qualified for the Europa League in 2018âÂÂ19 and progressed through qualifying rounds against RunavÃÂk and Asteras Tripolis, before losing in the third round to Molde. After finishing third in the 2020–21 Scottish Premiership, Hibs entered the newly-established Europa Conference League in 2021–22, beating Andorrans Santa Coloma before losing to Croatian side Rijeka. A fifth place finish in 2022–23, meant another qualification for the Europa Conference League in 2023–24. Hibs progressed to the playoff round by beating Andorrans Inter Club d'Escaldes and Swiss club Luzern, but then suffered an 8–0 aggregate defeat against Premier League club Aston Villa.
Hibs finished third in the 2024–25 Premiership, giving them a place in the Europa League qualifiers. A surprise victory for Aberdeen against league champions Celtic in the 2025 Scottish Cup final meant that Hibs entered in the second qualifying round, rather than the play-off round. A series of dramatic ties followed, all decided in periods of extra time, where Hibs lost to Danish side Midtjylland, defeated Serbian club Partizan in the Conference League third qualifying round, but then lost in the play-off round of that competition to Polish side Legia Warsaw.
The number of goals scored by Hibernian is on the left in each instance.